Famous Five 50s Film

Discuss the television and film adaptations of Enid Blyton's stories.
Katharine
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Re: Famous Five 50s Film

Post by Katharine »

Yes, that's the one Tony. I'd have been about 8 when it was shown, so I only have hazy memories of it. I agree, that it's extremely unlikely I'll ever find it. Even if it hasn't been wiped from existence, I can't imagine it would appeal to many other people.

Some people dream of owning yachts, country mansions, flashy sports cars or villas in tropical places if they ever come into zillions of pounds. However I would employ experts to track down programmes I would love to see again, and if necessary haggle for the copyright of them and digitally restore them if necessary. Then I'd set up some kind of webs-site where people could buy them for the cost of producing them, plus p & p. :D
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bzjane
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Re: Famous Five 50s Film

Post by bzjane »

I've noticed a few references throughout the forums to a 1950s film of Five on a Treasure Island. I have just noticed that a full version of the film is available on youtube. Just go on youtube and search for Five on aTreasure Island.
Iv'e only watched a bit and it certainly doesn't adhere to the book but it looks quite fun.

Apologies if this has previously been mentioned.
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Petermax
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Re: Famous Five 50s Film

Post by Petermax »

bzjane wrote:I've noticed a few references throughout the forums to a 1950s film of Five on a Treasure Island. I have just noticed that a full version of the film is available on youtube. Just go on youtube and search for Five on aTreasure Island.
Far better to get hold of the DVD rather than watch fuzzy old Youtube! :lol:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Enid-Blytons-Th ... B003NW1XP8
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Famous Five 50s Film

Post by Rob Houghton »

Recently I've been reading EB's Magazine from this time 60 years ago - as people who have seen the other thread will know - but today I read the issue from this week in 1957 - the June 5th issue - No 12 Vol 5. In the opening 'letter from Green Hedges' Enid talks about the 1957 film version of Five On A Treasure Island. I was interested to read Enid's opinion of this film (or the opinion she made public, anyway!) I also found it interesting that Enid refers to it as being a 'film' or 'picture' rather than a serial, and seems to hint that 'it' will be released in '12 weeks time'. I wonder if originally it was meant to be shown as a film rather than a serial?

In the editorial, she writes -

"How you would all have loved to be with me last Friday! I went to see the first showing of my film 'Five On A Treasure Island' - and it is truly magnificent. I don't know quite what I expected, but I certainly didn't expect the Famous Five to come alive in the remarkable way they did - to go about so gaily in their boat in Kirrin Bay - to manage it so well - to land on Kirrin Island and go up to the old ruined castle as if it really did belong to them! Most of you have read the book, I know, certainly all our Famous Five Club members have, and you will remember those dark mysterious dungeons, the ingots of gold there, and will remember the wreck that lay under the sea just off the island. Well, everything is in the picture - and how you will love seeing Julian and George swimming about in the wreck, under water, wearing flippers and goggles!

"The film will be released for showing in about 12 weeks time, and, as I promised, I will tell you as soon as I know what towns it is coming to. I do hope you will tell me if you like it, and will also tell me which of the Five books you would like to see as a film, after this one. It will be shown in many places overseas, of course, and I particularly want my Australian readers to see it, because 'George' in the film is an Australian girl, and they will be proud of her."



8)
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Courtenay
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Re: Famous Five 50s Film

Post by Courtenay »

Rob Houghton wrote: In the editorial, she writes -

... I particularly want my Australian readers to see it, because 'George' in the film is an Australian girl, and they will be proud of her."
Oh wow, how cool! :D I sent my mum a DVD of the 1957 Five on a Treasure Island film a few years ago (a purchase from Viv at the Ginger Pop Shop!), but haven't seen it myself. I seem to recall Mum enjoyed it, but I must ask her again and let her know the girl who played George was Australian.

I've just done some searching online and found her name was Rel Grainer — as it turns out, she was the step-daughter of composer Ron Grainer, the man originally responsible for this... 8)
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It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
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Moonraker
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Re: Famous Five 50s Film

Post by Moonraker »

Reading Enid's comments to the film, I can only assume that she would be more than happy with all the updates to her books that so many of us complain about.
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Rob Houghton
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Re: Famous Five 50s Film

Post by Rob Houghton »

I think youre probably right! After all, Enid was a business woman and in the end she wanted her books to be popular, so she would probably have a agreed with the modernisations.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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timv
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Re: Famous Five 50s Film

Post by timv »

I have been checking the potential sites for 'Kirrin Cottage' in the 1957 film of Treasure Island - which can be seen in the YouTude video at 2 mins, 26 to 32 secs in as George is seen taking Timmy across the garden into the house. (It's a bit big to be a 'cottage', but still....)

From the style of the house, and its stone construction, it appears to be a typical Late Victorian residence in Purbeck, either Swanage or Corfe Castle . There are many built like it in these two places and the nearby villages of Langton Matravers and Worth Matravers, but very few of that size or with gables; most are ordinary rectangles with no projecting windows in 'wings' . The useful clues are that it is in largeish grounds , on a small ridge (up which George walks to the front door), and has a clump of tall trees behind; the drive must be to the right (as seen from the front view) as George walks across open ground from the left to the front door without leaving the grass. The camera angle indicates looking uphill to the front door from lower ground.

There are no suitable (surviving) houses on such small ridges with trees in Corfe Castle, which has few large houses anyway and those mostly on level ground; there are none suitable backing on the open ground of Corfe Common, which does have a ridge. But in Swanage the layout of the house, windows, chimney, tall trees behind , open ground to the left with a slight ridge and bushes, and drive to the right fit a large Victorian house at the top of Seymer Road on Peveril Point, now the 'Downland Apartments' holiday 'lets'. The only problem is that the roof is different and the 'gables' to right and left of the front door now do not extend right up to triangular 'tops' at roof level, but are cut off at a lower level. The roof may have been altered, though; the house was substantially remodelled in the 1970s or 1980s when divided up into flats. It is about a hundred yards uphill (S) and across open ground (the Peveril Point common) from the site of the Grosvenor Hotel by Swanage Pier, where Enid used to stay - and met 'Bill Smugs' - and looks N over Swanage Bay. There is open common to the E (to the left in the film) and S, trees behind it to the S, and a drive to Seymer Rd to the W (to the right in the film).

If this is the correct site, then we have the filming done looking S from the common at the house and George walking across the common with Timmy from the cliffs to the E to the house; Seymer Rd is off shot to the right (W). There is a public car park at the foot of the hill about 80 yards from the house, where the Children's Film Foundation could have parked vans to be 'off shot'. I can remember the house and car park from the 1960s, though not conclusively that the house had gables; I will see if I can unearth any old photos of it. I took some photos of it yesterday which can be put in a future Journal edition.
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